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(No Model.) 3 Sheefs-Sheet 1.

' J. FRENIER.

V REFRIGERATOR.

No. 379,533. Patented Mar. 13, 1888.

IT'NEssEs: INVENTOIR W M /4 y fiKflu' (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. FRENIER.

REFRIGERATOR.

No. 379,533. Patented MR1. 1a, 1888.

i \w v WITNEssEs:

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH FBENIER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDWIN W.JEWELL, OF SAME PLACE.

REFRIGERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,533, dated March13, 1888.

Application filed May 16, 1887. Serial No. 238,381. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn FRENIER, of Cincinnati, in the county ofHamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Refrigerators, which improvement is fully set forth in the followingspecification and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a verticalsectional view of my refrigerator or cooling-room. Fig. 2 isa horizontalsectional view through line W, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical enlargeddetail section of one of the walls, and Fig. 4 a perspective view of thearm or stud in the wall-flue.

The object of my invention is to construct a refrigerator orcooling-room; and it consists of the following features: first, thepeculiar manner of constructing the outer walls of the refrigerator, inconnection with the bottom and top thereof, so that an air chamber orspace will be provided on all sides; second, in having a centralair-duct connecting at both its upper and lower ends with these outerchambers; third, in having approximately in the middle a horizontalchamber, air-duct, or division connecting with the central verticalduct; and, fourth, the peculiar manner of constructing the severalparts, so as to make a strong and cheap refrigerator and one easilyconstructed by an ordinary mechanic, all of which will now be fully setforth in detail.

In the accompanying drawings, the outer casing or body of the room orrefrigerator is represented by A, which may be either of wood or metal.Within this and at a suitable distance from this outer shell is a shell,B, either of wood or metal, having between the two a space, 0, for theusual packing material, such as is used in refrigerators. On the insideof this inner shell, B, is another shell or wall, D, providing a duct orchamber, E, around the entire refrigerator, sides, top, and bottom.

As shown more fully in Fig. 2, F is a central vertical duct or chamberwhich extends entirely across the refrigerator, the inner shells D ofwhich form the walls for this partition-duct. This duct communicateswith the duct in the top and bottom.

Near the top of the room or chamber, as

shown in Fig. 1, is a horizontal duct, G, communicating with thevertical duct F. The floors H of the chambers I, thus formed, serve asthe wall on one side of the duct G, while the shell J below forms thelower wall of the duct. The ice-chambers I have openings K on the sidenext the duct F, communicating therewith, as shown in Fig. 1. The outerends or sides of the ice-chambers have the walls L located a shortdistance from the inner shell D, and the openings M are formed throughthis wall near the bottom, so that the cold air from the chamber I mayflow into the chamber N, thence through apertures in the floor H intothe horizontal duct G, and thence to the vertical'duct F. The walls Lhave also holes or openings 0 through them near the top of the chamberI, which communicate with the chamber or duct N. There may also beopenings in the ceiling of the chamber or chambers I, to allow a flow ofair into the space above said chamber or chambers.

When constructed and arranged in the manner here shown, the refrigeratorwill have two rooms or chambers, P P, for the reception of meats,fruits, &c., and two smaller ice-chambers, I I, above. These chambersare surrounded with the air-spaces, as described, and all the chambersare made accessible by doors Q, Q, suitably located and of convenientsize.

It will now be in order to show the peculiar manner in which I constructthe body and partitions of the refrigerator or rooms.

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged sectional view of the entire wall of arefrigerator. In order to make the chambers or air-ducts uniform allaround each internal chamber, I prepare a hollow stud, R, two forms ofwhich are shown in Fig. 4. These studs are interposed between the wallsBD at suitable points, and lag-screws S pass through these walls andthrough the studs R from the inside in order to hold all the wallsfirmly together in their relative positions. In the lower chambers, P P,I prefer to have these lag-screws pass through the horizontalwall-cleats T, to which the meat-hooks U are attached, or to whichshelves or brackets may be fastened.

I will now set forth the manner in which the refrigerator operates anddescribe the advantages gained by my invention. The lower chambers, P P,have openings V through the inner walls D D at the base, which formconnections with the central vertical duct, F. These openings are eachprovided with cut-off gates W, so that the flow of air through theseopenings may be regulated. The inner shells, D of the chambers, near theceiling J, have openings Y, which communicate with ducts E, thatsurround the entire refrigerator. The chambers I I are each providedwith drippipes Z, which pass down through the central ducts, F, andterminate below the floor of the refrigerator in an ordinary cup-trap.

W represents a slide or cut-off at the lower end of the duct F.

It will be observed that the icechambers have their cold-air outletsnear their floors, and that all the cold air generated therein passesdownward in the central duct, F, from whenceit passes beneath the floorsof the chambers P P to the ducts which surround the entire refrigerator,passing thence to the duct on top of the refrigerator and down againthrough the duct F. In order to create this current and to assist inproducing a continuous circulation, the warm air within the chambers Pis permitted to pass out through the openings Y, which, when it entersthe surrounding duct, creates a current, a sufficient amount of cold airbeing supplied through the openings V at the bottom of the chambers. Ithas been customary to allow the cold air from the ice-chamber to enterthe storingchambers at the top; but I find that a much bettercirculation can be effected by supplying thecold air at the bottom, asshown. Again,

in order to separate the cold wall of the ice chambers I as much aspossible from contact with the outer or surrounding ducts, the wall L isintroduced, thereby preventing the cold walls of the ice-chamber fromreducing the temperature in the surrounding ducts.

It will be noted that the surrounding or external atmosphere is entirelyexcluded from the refrigerator, excepting such as may enter therefrigerator when the door is open.

What I claim as new is- In a refrigerator, the combination, with theouter casing, of provision-chambers and superimposed ice-chambers, theice-ehambers being separated from the provision-chambers by a horizontalair-space, the ice-chambers and the provision-chambers. being separatedby a vertical air-space in com munication w1th the horizontal space, andall of said chambers being separated from the outer wall by a surrounding air-space continuous with said vertical air-space, theice-chambers being provided with openings through which communication isestablished with said horizontal, vertical, and surroundingair-spaces,and each provision-chamber being provided with an opening near itsfloor, establishing communication with said vertical air-space, and anopening near the ceiling establishlngjeommunieation with saidsurrounding air-space, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand,this 11th day of March, 1887, in the presence of witnesses.

JOSEPH FRENIER.

Witnesses:

J. S. ZERBE, ROBERT RAMSEY.

